LDN - Sports

NFL notebook: Tepper nearing deal to buy Panthers

[May 12, 2018] Billionaire hedge fund manager and Pittsburgh Steelers minority owner David Tepper is the leading candidate to be the Carolina Panthers' next owner, multiple outlets reported Friday.

An announcement naming Tepper the winning bidder could come early next week, according to the reports.

Tepper, 60, is a co-founder of Appaloosa Management, a hedge fund based in Miami Beach, Fla. Forbes estimates his net worth at $11 billion. Forbes' most recent NFL valuations, in September 2017, put the Panthers at $2.3 billion.

According to CBS Sports, Tepper valued the club at about $2.1 billion, a fact that led many to believe he would not end up being the winner. However, CBS and ESPN report that Sherman Financial Group founder Ben Navarro, long believed to be the leading candidate, believes that he is no longer in the running, and that Tepper will get the club.

--New York Giants rookie Saquon Barkley understands the skepticism that comes with a team taking a running back with the No. 2 pick in the draft. That said, he plans on being "more than a running back" as he transitions from college to the NFL.

"Obviously, you look at the past three years and the position of the running backs and what [Ezekiel Elliott] and [Le'Veon Bell] have been able to do, they are more than a running back," Barkley told reporters at the Giants' morning rookie minicamp walk-through. "I look at myself as more than a running back. I am not a guy that just lines up in the back field and is going to bang his head.

"I am a guy that is willing to do anything for his team. Whether it be a kick returner or a punt returner, running down on kickoffs, lining up in the slot, running a dummy play or a fake play, whatever it takes. I want to be an athlete, not just a running back. Obviously, I play the running back position, but I want to be an all-around guy and an all-around player."

--A week after expressing skepticism about the Pittsburgh Steelers' decision to draft a quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger texted third-round rookie Mason Rudolph to offer support before the team's rookie camp.

"He reached out and said, 'Hey, good luck in rookie minicamp.'" Rudolph told reporters after practice, the first of three this weekend for rookies and first-year eligible players. "I was really appreciative of that. I just said, 'Hey, thanks, look forward to meeting you.' Wasn't a whole lot [of conversation], but it meant a lot that he reached out."

On KDKA-AM radio last week, Roethlisberger said he was "surprised" the team drafted a quarterback, adding that the move passed up an opportunity to get "football players that can help this team win now."

--The Los Angeles Rams would love to wear their iconic blue and yellow throwback uniforms more often, but the NFL apparently won't allow it.

They currently wear the uniforms made famous during the Eric Dickerson era in Los Angeles twice per season but asked to wear them for two additional games last season and were denied. Rams COO Kevin Demoff says fans have expressed disappointment with their Navy blue jerseys and that the team has tried to communicate it to the league.

"We have spent the year educating them on our fan base," Demoff said, per the Los Angeles Times. "We forwarded them all of the fan complaints, the emails we get, so I think they're well aware of our fans' preferences."

--The New England Patriots released 2017 third-round offensive tackle Antonio Garcia with a non-football injury designation.

Garcia, 24, missed his entire rookie season due to blood clots in his lungs, reportedly losing more than 40 pounds, which likely put him in the 260 range. He weighed in at 302 pounds at the 2017 NFL Scouting Combine after spending much of his playing career at Troy in the 280s. The move comes as a surprise, as many considered Garcia a candidate to replace Nate Solder at left tackle.

The Patriots' top pick in last month's draft, Isaiah Wynn, played left tackle at Georgia but was projected by many to move to guard in the NFL due to a lack of height (just under 6-foot-3) and length (33.5-inch arms). However, longtime O-line coach Dante Scarnecchia told reporters at the team's first day of rookie camp that Wynn's measureables will not preclude him from getting a chance at left tackle.

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--Linebacker and first-round pick Leighton Vander Esch signed his four-year rookie contract with the Dallas Cowboys after his first rookie camp practice.

As with all first-rounders, the deal comes with a fifth-year team option. It is worth $11.847 million, fully guaranteed, over the first four years with a signing bonus of $6.696 million.

Dallas now has eight of its nine draft picks under contract, with only third-round wideout Michael Gallup unsigned. Guard Connor Williams (second round), defensive end Dorance Armstrong (fourth), tight end Dalton Schultz (fourth), quarterback Mike White (fifth), linebacker Chris Covington (sixth), wide receiver Cedrick Wilson (sixth) and running back Bo Scarbrough (seventh) all signed their deals on Thursday.

--The Indianapolis Colts signed nine of their eleven 2018 draft picks, including sixth overall pick Quenton Nelson, to four-year contracts on the team's first day of rookie camp.

The others to sign were defensive ends Kemoko Turay (second round) and Tyquan Lewis (second), running backs Nyheim Hines (fourth) and Jordan Wilkins (fifth), wide receivers Daurice Fountain (fifth) and Deon Cain (sixth) and linebackers Matthew Adams (seventh) and Zaire Franklin (seventh). Only second-round picks Darius Leonard and Braden Smith remain unsigned.

Like all first-rounders, Nelson's contract features a fifth-year team option. His deal is worth a fully guaranteed $23.9 million over four years, with a signing bonus of $15.5 million.

--The Giants signed three of their six 2018 draft picks and added 11 undrafted free agents as they opened a three-day rookie minicamp, the team announced.

Guard Will Hernandez, a second-round pick, linebacker Lorenzo Carter (third) and quarterback Kyle Lauletta (fourth) all signed their deals, leaving just three players left to get under contract.

No. 2 overall pick Saquon Barkley remains unsigned, but is expected to receive a four-year deal worth $31.2 million.

--Detroit Lions first-round pick Frank Ragnow signed a four-year deal worth $11.8 million.

Ragnow, a four-year starter at center for Arkansas, was the 20th overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. His deal, as with all first-round picks, includes a team option for a fifth year.

The selection was met with some skepticism in Detroit, where fans were focused on improving the defense under first-year head coach Matt Patricia. But Patricia and general manager Bob Quinn said Ragnow was a perfect fit based on "everything we're about."

--The Atlanta Falcons announced the signing of former Washington Redskins defensive tackle Terrell McClain.

According to multiple reports, the deal will be for one year and $4 million.

McClain, 29, took visits with the San Francisco 49ers, Miami Dolphins and Dallas Cowboys within the last week after Washington released him on April 30, just a year into a four-year, $21 million deal he signed as a free agent last offseason. He had 2.0 sacks and 20 tackles in 2017 while appearing in 12 games (two starts).

--The Colts signed free-agent wide receiver Kasen Williams and released fellow wideout DeAndre Smelter, the team announced.

No terms of the deal were announced.

Williams, who signed with the Seattle Seahawks as an undrafted free agent in 2015, has played in 10 career regular-season games with the Seahawks and Cleveland Browns. The 25-year-old has 10 career catches for 92 yards.

--Field Level Media

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